[Cognitive impairment in the early phase of multiple sclerosis and its relationship with mood, demographic and clinical variables].
Our aim was to study cognitive performance in the early phase of MS. In addition, we studied whether depression, demographic and clinical variables differentiate cognitively impaired patients from non-impaired patients. A group of 52 MS-RR patients with mild level of neurological disability and 51 healthy controls were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. The MS group performed significantly worse on several measures of attention and processing speed and visuoperceptive/visuoconstructive tasks. Verbal memory is characterized by working memory deficits, whereas the visual memory impairment is attributable to deficits in acquisition and consolidation/recuperation. Results shows that cognitive impairment is evident even in MS patients in the early course of their disease. Depression scores were higher in cognitively impaired patients as compared with unimpaired patients. The effect of educational level suggests that higher education delays the onset of cognitive decline.
Nieto Barco
Antonieta
A
Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
Sánchez López
Ma del Pino
Mdel P
Barroso Ribal
José
J
Olivares Pérez
Teresa
T
Hernández Pérez
Miguel Angel
MA
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index